Milan G. Chheda, MD
Associate Professor; Director of Neuro-oncology
- Phone: 314-747-2712
- Fax: 314-362-7086
- Email: mchheda@nospam.dom.wustl.edu
Address:
Division of Oncology
Mail Stop 8069-0004-07
Washington University
660 South Euclid Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63110
Gary C. Werths Building, 1st Floor (clinic)
Room 7609 BJC Institute of Health (office)
Admin:
Ebony McGee
ebonyvmcgee@wustl.edu
- Aggressive treatment of brain tumors
- Maintenance of excellent quality of life
- Cancer stem cells
- Oncolytic viruses
- Functional genomics of brain tumors
We are interested in identifying and characterizing the genetic and epigenetic events that induce cancer and maintain tumors. Often, in other contexts, these same molecules enable normal human development.
Our initial work has focused on glioma as a model to study the tumor initiating cell state (sometimes known as the cancer stem cell state). Glioblastoma, the highest-grade glioma, is the most common and aggressive brain tumor. Tumor initiating cells exist in many types of cancer and are often more resistant to treatment than other parts of any given patient’s tumor.
Genetic aberrations found in patient tumors guide our experiments. We use these clues to discover fundamental biological mechanisms that impel tumors. We identified transcription factors and chromatin remodeling factors that are required to maintain the glioma tumor initiating cell state. This work provided a proof of principle that differentiation therapy might be feasible in solid tumors. We want to unearth new ways to kill tumor cells and uncover the signals and pathways that tumor cells use to resist our treatments. To advance our mission, we employ patient-derived tumor cells, functional genomics (loss-of-function and gain-of-function screens), biochemistry, in vivo imaging, and computational techniques.
Biosketch
Education
- 2006: Certificate in Clinical Effectiveness, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA
- 1996: MD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY
- 1994: Wallenberg Scholar, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- 1993: AB, Physics and Mathematics, Harvard College, Cambridge, MA
Post-Graduate Training
- 2015-2007: Postdoctoral Fellow, laboratory of William C. Hahn, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA and Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, with laboratory of Ingo L. Mellinghoff, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
- 2007-2005: Fellow in Neuro-oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
- 2005-2002: Resident in Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
- 2002-2001: Intern in Internal Medicine, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT
Academic Positions
- present-2025: Pedal the Cause Investigator, Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis. MO
- present-2025: Associate Director, Brain Tumor Center, Washington University School of Medicine and Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, MO
- present-2021: Associate Professor with Tenure, Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology and Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
- present-2021: Director, Neuro-oncology, Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
- present-2020: Director, Neuro-oncology Fellowship Program, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
- present-2017: Co-leader, Neuro-oncology, Mechanisms of Cancer Biology Program, Siteman Cancer Center
- 2021-2015: Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology and Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
- 2015-2010: Instructor, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
- 2010-2007: Instructor, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
University & Hospital Appointments & Committees
- present-2025: Associate Director, Medical Scientist Training Program
- present-2024: Emerging Leaders Council, Siteman Cancer Center
- present-2016: Protocol Review Monitoring Committee, Siteman Cancer Center
Board Certification
- Board Certification in Neurology, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (active)
- Board Subspecialty Certification in Neuro-oncology, United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties (active)
Honors & Awards
- 2020: Young Investigator Award, Midwest Tumor Microenvironment Meeting
- 2018: Siteman Cancer Center Rock Doc
- 2018: Neuro-oncology Investigator Award, American Academy of Neurology
- 2010: Jerome B. Posner Teaching Award for Neurology Resident Teaching, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
- 2010-2008: American Brain Tumor Association Basic Science Research Fellow
- 2009-2008: American Association for Cancer Research-National Brain Tumor Foundation Scholar in Memory of Bonnie Brooks
- 2005: Senior Resident Teacher of the Year, Massachusetts General Hospital
- 2001: Doyle Award in Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
- 2001-1999: Howard Hughes Medical Institute Continued Support Scholarship
- 1998: Howard Hughes Medical Institute – NIH Research Scholar
National Leadership Positions, Societies, & Boards
- present-2024: Co-chair, Basic science track, Society for Neuro-Oncology
- present-2022: Scientific Advisory Board, American Brain Tumor Association
- present-2021 (Acting Chair, 2025), Advancing Therapeutics A study section, National Institutes of Health
- present-2020: External Advisory Board, K12 Training Program in Nervous System Tumors, Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center
- 2020-2018: Co-chair, Young Investigator Committee, Society for Neuro-Oncology
- present-2020: Associate Editor, Neuro-oncology Advances
Professional Societies
- present-2015: Society for Neuro-Oncology
- present-2012: American Brain Tumor Foundation Alumni Network (Co-chairman, 2013)
- present-2011: American Academy of Neurology
- present-2008: American Association for Cancer Research